CrowLeafClan
by Attack Emu
Summary: What if Crowfeather and Leafpool did not return to the clans and save ThunderClan from the badgers? What will they do? What happened to ThunderClan without the help of the two cats? Read now!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I wanted to put an example quote from the book above, so you know where I'm going, but I don't have the book, and it's been a long time since I read it. Again, since it's been a while since I read it, there might be some errors as I don't exactly remember TOO well what happened. What I think happened that Leafpool ran away with Crowfeather, and then Midnight came to warn them that badgers were headed to ThunderClan for revenge. They came back, and ThunderClan was saved with the help of WindClan...right? Feel free to correct me, nicely. This is what might have happened if they decided to not come back. Oh yeah, and I forgot how Cinderpelt died exactly, so  
**

It was the hardest decision Leafpool ever had to make. She wanted to warn ThunderClan, but warning them would mean that everybody would beg her to come back, and she probably would, the soft-heart that she was. She..she didn't want to go back, did she? ThunderClan had no medicine cat apprentice now, but Leafpool remembered bitterly how Brightheart had been slowly taking over her job anyway. She could have that job!

The night was chill, but Leafpool felt warmer than ever cuddled up to Crowfeather's dark pelt. Love for him swirled in her heart, and she felt happier than she ever had for a long time, even though deep deep inside, she missed ThunderClan already. Her friend Sorreltail was having kits soon! She shook her head, and put it on her paws and went to sleep. Outside, the shrill cry of crickets filled the air, like the stars of StarClan, watching her and shaking their heads. Trees blew slightly in the gentle wind, and an owl hooted.

"Leafpool! Leafpool! Wake up. Let's explore the territory while the sun rises. It will be beautiful." It was strange to hear the grumpy tom speak so softly, and Leafpool purred slightly in amusement, though she was extremely tired.

"Oh, Crowfeather, we have all the time in the world!" She tried to speak excitedly, but her throat got caught when an image appeared in her head. She stared into the distance. Crowfeather just sat and watched her patiently. He knew how medicine cats got visions from StarClan, and even though she wasn't a clan cat anymore, StarClan probably still had the power to contact her.

_A tortoiseshell cat appeared before Leafpool's eyes. Sorreltail! Her heart warmed. She was giving birth! Leafpool yelled for help, forgetting temporarily that she couldn't interfere. This probably had already happened. She couldn't touch the past. Cinderpelt ran past her like she wasn't there, because, really, she wasn't. Sorreltail screeched, feeling the pain that many mothers before her had felt. Leafpool looked away. She didn't want to watch. Her ears twitched. What was that sound? Screaming, hissing, meowing. Leafpool swallowed. Fighting cats. When she looked outside, she could see the many pelts fighting the pelt of...Midnight? No, not her. It was another badger..The ones that Midnight warned about! As she watched through the entrance, she saw a light grey body laying awkwardly in the clearing,Sootfur. She didn't need to touch him, prod him, whisper to him, to see that the tom had died. He had been a loyal warrior of ThunderClan. She bowed her head in honour, and planned to watch the sky tonight to find a new star. Suddenly she felt a presense next to her. Cinderpelt. She was guarding the den. She turned her head and stared right through Leafpool, or at her? Did Cinderpelt know that she was there, the ginger-pelted traitor was watching her right now? A white flash. A badger started to attack the grey she-cat. Leafpool watched, dread filling her, wanting to help her old mentor. She looked away to see Sorreltail, grooming her first born. "Poppykit." The new mother had whispered. Leafpool shivered, and StarClan whispered in her ear. "Turn around." What Leafpool saw caused her to throw her head up and yowl to the sky. Cinderpelt's body lay there now, and the badger that had commited this crime of ending the kit's life was now lumbering around, looking for a new victim. "Turn around again." the voice said. She did. StarClan had sped up time slightly, to when all the kits had been born, and Cinderpelt's body was being buried, and some other warriors. Sorreltail had four kits. Two of them fed healthily, but two others were frozen. Without the help of a medicine cat, the other two had died. Sorreltail paid no attention to them, and paid only attention to the ones that were alive. The clan must go on. _

Leafpool snapped back to the present. Her pelt was covered in sweat, and she was shaking heavily. Crowfeather was grooming her, currently fixing up the fur on her shoulder. He did not say anything when she was back. This was her own time.

But she wanted Crowfeather to know.

"Crowfeather. It was terrible. The badgers DID come, like Midnight said. They...they killed Sootfur, and, " Her meow started to break, and her voice went hoarse, "and, Cinderpelt! And...I wasn't there, so two of Sorreltail's kits died! My fault...my fault. " She started to shake more violently.

"No. You can't blame yourself, Leafpool. The clan did not depend on one cat. If you were there, it would make no difference. Maybe, maybe, you would have died too, but you didn't, and you're here, safe with me. Together, we'll make a clan. A clan where true love is allowed to happen, and casualties almost never exist."

Leafpool was calmed by his words, though they probably weren't too true. She cuddled up with him, and just stared out of the entrance, eyes blank.

-to be continued soon-


	2. Chapter 2

The sounds of chittering birds caused Leafpool's eyes to flutter open, and suddenly her body noticed the cool mist that had settled on her back over the night, she shivered slightly.

This didn't look familiar....? Why was it so bright? Where was the strong acrid smell of cat mint? The subtle smell of poppy seeds? This wasn't right!

"Cinderpelt..." she murmured...waiting for a response, but her heart pounded as images started to flood back into her brain, as she started to remember. Cinderpelt was dead. This wasn't home. She was with Crowfeather. Why was she so stupid? She didn't belong here! She jumped to her feet with a start, her eyes intent on the horizon, the direction where home was but a quiet moan distracted her and she looked back. A small dark grey cat slept peacefully, laid out on his back, his belly exposed to the air. It was one of the most vulnerable positions as a warrior but it only showed Leafpool that he trusted her, that he was comfortable. She sighed, a soft sound that seem to cause the plants around her to sway. It was so peaceful, so beautiful, how could she believe that a terrible war had broken out the night before? Cinderpelt was alive. She willed herself to believe it, it was the only way she could calm her beating heart.

"Leafpool. I'm so glad...you did this with me." Again Leafpool turned her head to watch the cat that she loved so much. Half of his body was down on the ground in a long comfortable stretch, and his mouth gaped open in a large yawn. His amber eyes fluttered, squinting at the sun. "I had the best sleep in moons...without that irritating Webfoot snoring through the night. That and being with you....mmmm, it was wonderful." A warm purr started in his chest and he stalked over to rub his face against Leafpool's. "I love you." he whispered into her ear.

_I must stay with him. If that all really did happen back at ThunderClan, I can never return. They'd never take me back. They'd hate me. It is the coward's way but I chose this path and I will continue on it and not look back. I love Crowfeather and we will start a new life together. _

The light brown tabby breathed in her lover's scent, the scent of WindClan still strong on him but now mixed with the strong forest scent of ThunderClan.

"What do we do now? Where are we going?" she asked, expecting no response, for did either of them really know? They had no plan.

"We explore!" he gasped excitedly, pulling away from Leafpool. "We can start a family! Maybe even our own clan! A clan where everyone is free to love each other, where there are no boundaries."

Leafpool eyed him. He wasn't being his quiet, sullen self. His amber eyes shone with happiness and possibility. Why couldn't she share it? She needed to STOP thinking of ThunderClan. Now, ThunderClan did not exist, it did not exist. She blinked hard twice, trying to get herself to believe it.

"Of course. What will we do today?" She tried to sound confident but was slightly shaky.

"Just be together. Hunt, explore, relax." His voice was smooth.

ThunderClan did not exist.

* * *

ThunderClan didn't exist. Or at least it was the last thing she was thinking about as she collapsed onto the hard ground, ready to fall asleep. Her paws were sore with the things that they did. It was so nice to not have to worry about other cats for a change. Not that she didn't enjoy being a medicine cat, she just needed a break. Crowfeather pressed his body against her, his warmth healing the ache in her body.

"What a great day! There is so much prey here!" He exclaimed, eyes fluttering close "I lo..love you." Before Leafpool could reply, she heard his breaths get heavy and knew he was asleep. She joined him, closing her own eyes, feeling the dreams take over her body.

"Traitor! Traitor!" A dark grey she-cat yowled, her eyes on fire with her anger. Her face was in Leafpool's, and she leaned back protectively.

"Yellowfang....give her some room." A blue cat said calmly.

"She doesn't deserve it. She doesn't deserve anything." Yellowfang spat. "We-StarClan trusted you. We didn't see this coming! You no good piece of mouse--"

"Yellowfang!" The other cat interuppted.

Leafpool's eyes switched from one cat to the other, her heart pounding as hard as thunder. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out!

"Don't try to explain yourself, LeafDUNG!" Yellowfang hissed, her voice and expressive face full of hatred. The blue cat stepped in front of her, pushing her out of the way. Yellowfang growled quietly but finally was silent.

"Leafpool, why did you do this?" Her eyes were warm, and her voice was kind and loving, like a mother's. "Why? We sent you a vision of what happened to ThunderClan, hoping it would bring you back, but you stayed...why?"

Leafpool shivered slightly as she attempted to talk again, but again no words came out.

The blue cat repeated the question again and again, "Why? Why? Why did you betray your own clan?" and after a few times Yellowfang started to chip in at the same time. A chorus of cat voices pushed at Leafpool, and she closed her eyes tightly and looked down.

_"Why?"_

_"Can't answer, huh? Failure."_

_"Why?"_

_"Cat's got your tongue, eh?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Eh? Eh? Eh?"_

Suddenly she felt Crowfeather against her body again, her pelt warm with sweat, her breath was heavy as she looked around. An intense blue sky smiled down on her, and a tree in front of her creaked back and fourth slowly. Did StarClan really visit her? Why couldn't she speak then? Maybe it was just a dream, an imagined result of all of her guilt. She hoped but she wasn't sure. It was just too darn real. The two cats were Yellowfang and Bluestar, two StarClan she-cats that visited her often when she lived with ThunderClan. Yellowfang did have a sharp tongue...it was so realistic, but if she believed it was true it would only add to her guilt. She didn't need more of that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I haven't read the Warriors series in forever. Seriously. The first chapter is old, and the only reason I remembered it was someone commented on it and I got the email. So I decided to continue it because even though I don't like the Warriors series anymore(the newer ones I mean, the first series will ALWAYS be amaaaaazing) it will never stop being fun writing your own version of Warriors. :) Anyway I did not read my first chapter before making the second chapter so if there are any mistakes between them, sorry! And again, I have not read Warriors in a while, so I'm literally running back and forth between the computer and the bookshelf to see cat descriptions for the characters. I always thought Crowfeather was black...good think I checked! I do not know the eye colors for ANY of them, so I might make them up, so if Crowfeather doesnt have amber eyes, I apologize, feel free to correct me, I will make sure to write that in but I won't edit it out of the other chapters because I'm too lazy. xD I was thinking of also writing in some chapters about how ThunderClan was doing without an official medicine cat but again...I don't remember anything about that haha, I don't even remember the characters so you'd probably see me writing about "Jayfeather" or something like that even though he isnt even born yet and wouldnt be in ThunderClan. Is it a good idea? Maybe if someone can give me a quick review of the clan and everything I could try it? OMG I'm rambling...to the story! (ps. I do not remember what Spottedleaf looked like, again feel free to correct me) **

Yellowfang looked into the water, an image of two cats intertwined showing very clearly. Full of rage, she slapped the pond with her paw, causing the image to go blurry, and eventually return to plain water, the two cats gone.

"Curse that mange-ridden she-cat." Yellowfang growled, speaking to no one in particular. "Curse her straight to--"

"We get it, Yellowfang, you're angry." A beautiful calico said softly, her eyes shining as she approached the grey cat. Her tail tapped Yellowfang's nose, and she purred quietly. "Things happen. She made her choice. ThunderClan will get through this."

"What are you talking about, Spottedleaf!? ThunderClan doesn't even have a medicine cat! We don't even have one planned. Leafpool was going to be the medicine cat, and her apprentice was going to be her son. That's TWO generations of medicine cats we just lost. Are we just going to pull out another cat from the air?" she ranted, not looking straight at Spottedleaf.

"Remember, Brightheart is eager to learn."

"That half-blind she-cat? She doesn't know a poppy seed from borage juice."

"She is smart, she can learn fast. It may not be what we planned, but it's no worse than a storm we did not foresee. One of Sorreltail's kits may be willing to become an apprentice."

"Spottedleaf, stop being so calm about this! You're making me look crazy!" Yellowfang groaned, exasperated. Spottedleaf let out a mrrrow of laughter, and touched her nose to Yellowfang's, pulling away her thick multicoloured tail.

"We need a crazy cat around here...I think it's been getting a bit dull." Spottedleaf joked.

----------------

Again Leafpool was awake before Crowfeather. She sat up and gazed down on Crowfeather, who's back was rising up and down in short breaths. Did he dream of WindClan? Did he feel any guilt for leaving his clan? These were the questions she wished she could ask him, but he would possibly think she regretted the decision to leave, and she didn't want that. She started to groom his head softly, lovingly, her bright pink tongue pushing his dark grey fur forward.

"Sweet dreams, Crowfeather. Run as fast as you can right now because I will never be able to match your pace." she whispered into his ear.

**Short chapter today. Sorry! Would you prefer that I add to this or make a new chapter? I was thinking of writing a chapter with Crowfeather's point of view, I think it would be fun. :) Comment and tell me what you think. Also feel free to tell me the pelt color of Spottedleaf, eye colors of all the characters so far, etc etc. Thanks! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Chapter isn't that long today. Always busy! Next chapter will be long, I promise. :) I already have plans for it and I'm excited to write it! By the way when Yellowfang says that Leafpool is her grand-daughter at the end of the chapter, I mean because she was so close to Firestar, he was like her son, so Leafpool is like her granddaughter, I dont mean she literally is. Just saying. :) Can't wait to write chapter 5, It will be good!!!  
**

Four days had passed since Leafpool and Crowfeather left their clans together. Good, long, comfortable days. Leafpool's ribs were starting to dissapear as she gained weight. Good food and never-ending guilt. ThunderClan would never eat like this. Three birds passed her by, practically ready to jump into her mouth, but she let them fly by.

They had spent yesterday teaching each other the secrets fighting techniques of their clan. Leafpool was awkward but Crowfeather understood. She wasn't supposed to use those techniques unless something severe happened to her clan. Her job was to help her cats. Was to. Now she lived almost lazily.

Crowfeather was the complete opposite. He was smooth, he was strong, he was clever, he was always ready. He practically flew as he pretended to fight the air. Leafpool had pathetically attempted the moves of WindClan but it only ended with amused purrs from Crowfeather. She was never meant to fight.

Today, they were on the move. They had not planned it but woke up feeling the mutual need to get away. Both of them were thinking the same thing. This wasn't home. But home was a different place to the both of them.

"Ready?" Crowfeather asked, sober. Leafpool nodded, and they started to walk, fast. Trying to walk away from that past....

Slowly, too slowly, the clearing that was their temporary home dissapeared and turned into the horizon. They left the trees and now were crossing an endless field, not too unlike where WindClan lived.

"Want to stop?" Crowfeather whispered. Leafpool understood. She didn't like the wind that battered at her pelt and blew her fur this way and that way, but she knew Crowfeather loved it, grew up with it. She wouldn't deny him the privilege to stay when he missed it so much.

"Of course...we could keep walking...I know you don't like the wind." He sounded false, she knew what he wanted her to say and she shook her head.

"No, I'm tired, let's stay here. Maybe you could show me how to hunt a rabbit." She forced a purr. She hated rabbits, their meat too...wet for her taste, but the look of Crowfeather's eyes lighting up was worth it.

"Of course! After we rest a bit—oh but are you hungry?"

"No, I could live without food for moons. We ate so much at our last stop."

"Okay. Just making sure." He purred, a delightful sound to Leafpool's ears.

"Thanks for coming all this way with me..." he sighed as he fell to his four paws, eyes fluttering close. Leafpool stayed up, but close to her love, watching. There was no way she could fall asleep in a place like this, but she could keep watch. For what? ....To stay away from the dreams. Could Yellowfang reach her in a place like this? She wondered.

* * *

"I lost her." Yellowfang sighed sadly, grief strong in her raspy, aged voice.

"She didn't die." Bluestar said simply, but her eyes were soft for her friend.

"She practically did." she turned around so her back was to the pond that she had been obsessively watching the last few days. Once they touched the Wheatgrass Field they were out of range for the watching water.

She was Firestar's daughter.

She was Yellowfang's grand-daughter. Practically her kin.

And she lost her. And she'd never join her in StarClan.


End file.
